Recently the Monkstone Pétanque Club hosted the Welsh Pétanque Associations (WPA) National Veterans Championship.
Thirteen triples teams from around south-east Wales entered the final championship of the season, which as always was competitively fought. Over the day, six games were played by each of the teams entered, and it soon became apparent that four teams were in the running to take the title.
The home team of Jim Harrison, Roger Griffin and John Barnes (Monkstone Marauders) became the team to beat; the first team that lost to the local trio was the team of Graham Attfield, Tony Smith and Kon Tomczyk (The Barn PC, Monkstone PC and Caerleon RFC PC).
Next the team Age Concern, consisting of three stalwarts of the Welsh pétanque world, Dai Cannan, Mike Jacques (both of Wenvoe PC) and Jake Caston (Wheatsheaf PC, Llanhennock) played the Monkstone Marauders, this time the Marauders lost, placing Age Concern in a strong position to take the title.
The last team in pole position to take the title was GPS comprising Gay Evans, Stewart Spencer (both of the Monkstone Inn PC) and Peter Beresford (Caerleon Club RFC PC) who took on the Monkstone Marauders in the final round of the day. Up to this point GPS had won 5 games and needed the final game to put them on equal wins with Age Concern.
The Monkstone Marauders took a firm control of the game and failed to allow GPS to enter the game, losing 13/0 and thereby failing to achieve their much needed 6th win.
This left Age Concern the only team to win all their 6 games of the day with a handsome points difference of plus 48 and taking the 2013 National Veterans Championship title.
Final Results: Those players highlighted in red are members of the Monkstone Pétanque Club.
1.Age Concern: Dai Cannan, Mike Jacques & Jake Caston – 6 wins +48
2.Barnstone: Graham Attfield, Tony Smith & Kon Tomczyk – 5 wins +42
3.Monkstone Marauders: Jim Harrison, John Barnes & Roger Griffin – 5 wins +41
4.GPS: Gay Evans, Stewart Spencer & Peter Beresford – 5 wins +26
5.Monkstone Monarchs: Mike Wigg, Mike Jones & Paul Milton – 5 wins +20.
The remaining teams were, in order of placing:
6. Caerleon 1970: D Bevan, N Wilkinson & R Derret
7. PD&B: P Daviss, D Murphy & R White
8. Gloria, Me & Bob: G Davies, M Davies & R Hayman
9. Monmouth Marques: P Macer-Wright, L Lewis & V Lewis
10.Monow Misfits: L Humphries, R Clifford & J Clifford
11. Jakaba: B Vaughan, K Macleod & R Dobbins
12. The Bodjers: J Moody, D Lake & W Lake
13. MSF: P Clarke, B Clarke & J Prosser
